In a previous post, I cited what scholars had noted concerning the numerical pattern of the patriarchs’ age at death. When we come to Gen 50 and see Joseph died at 110 years, that not only described a full life for Egyptians, it also fit into the patriarchal numerical pattern!
From Waltke’s commentary:
- Abraham: 175 = 7 x 52
- Isaac: 180 = 5 x 62
- Jacob: 147 = 3 x 72
- Joseph: 110 = 1 x 52 + 62 + 72
Victor Hamilton demonstrated this in his commentary saying, “Joseph is the successor in the pattern 7 – 5 – 3 – 1, and the sum of his predecessors (52 + 62 + 72). In this way, Joseph is linked intimately with his family line. … [T]he narrator is suggesting that Joseph symbolically brings to a conclusion the patriarchal narratives.”